Amazon.co.uk Review
The business and science publisher John Wiley isn't famous for its biographies, but they've landed a corker with Keay Davidson's life of Carl Sagan, science's greatest showman of recent years, the man who first concieved of "nuclear winter" and who shaped the attitudes of a generation with his groundbreaking TV science series Cosmos.
Sagan stands at the cusp where the technocratic and militaristic ambitions of the 50s meet the ecology movement. Keay Davidson treads a difficult middle course with gusto: Sagan wanted nothing less than to refashion astronomy and the life sciences in the image of his own imagination. Sagan believed that where life can in principle arise it always will, that many more worlds are habitable by some form of life than we imagine, and that evolution favours wild diversity. Not surprisingly it was Sagan's taste for science fiction that shaped his philosophy--a literature that accords with Sagan's own liberal education by building a speculative bridge between CP Snow's "two cultures": the sciences and the humanities.
Sagan was in many ways not a nice man. Nor was he by any means the best scientist. Davidson pulls no punches but this remains a generous and humane portrait. Davidson's journalist style is not top-flight, but he handles a vast amount of often first-hand research with skill and economy. In a market flooded with wordy and massive "first volumes" of never-to-be-finished lives Carl Sagan is a breath of fresh air from an unlikely source. --Simon Ings --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Independent, 2nd November 1999
- "Although this far from the definitive biography, it is an enjoyable read..."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Guardian, 20th November 1999
- "..offers a richly detailed and captivating documentary of the story behind this very public figure and the people and events surrounding him."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Times HIgher Educational Supplement, 21st January 2000
- "Keay Davidson, a science writer, has surveyed Sagan's life and provided a fascinating view of this multifaceted individual. ... The book provides a revealing profile of an individual who had a lasting effect on the way space science is carried out and funded. .... It is interesting and illustrative for readers to learn from Davidson's biography how Sagan evolved and how his influence formed and grew."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Davidson gets underneath the skin to expose the personal, emotional and intimate details of Sagan′s life, showing him both as a scientist, husband, lover and father. Brilliant." (Yorkshire Post, 9th November 2000)
"This biography is authoritative, interesting and entertaining. Every space enthusiast should read it." (Spaceflight, November 2001)
"This biography is authoritative, interesting and entertaining. Every space enthusiast should read it." (Spaceflight, November 2001)
"This biography is authoritative, interesting and entertaining. Every space enthusiast should read it." (Spaceflight, November 2001)
"This biography is authoritative, interesting and entertaining. Every space enthusiast should read it." (Spaceflight, November 2001)
Focus, December 1999
- "This gripping, thorough biography explores the relationships and experiences which moulded a man who's life was dominated bythe big mysteries - How did life begin? Does life inhabit other worlds?"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Chemical Engineer, 13th December 1999
- "Davidson has crafted an excellent and thoroughly readable biography of one of the most compelling figures of modern science."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The Observatory, August 2000
"Davidson writes superbly, and this biography is extremely hard to put down..."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Yorkshire Post, 9th November 2000
"Davidson gets underneath the skin to expose the personal, emotional and intimate details of Sagan's life, showing him both as a scientist, husband, lover and father. Brilliant."
Product Description
A penetrating, mesmerizing biography of a scientific icon, now in paperback
"Absolutely fascinating . . . Davidson has done a remarkable job."–Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"Engaging . . . accessible, carefully documented . . . sophisticated."–Dr. David Hollinger for The New York Times Book Review
"Entertaining . . . Davidson treats [the] nuances of Sagan′s complex life with understanding and sympathy."–The Christian Science Monitor
"Excellent . . . Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan′s works and their vast uncertainties."–Scientific American
"A fascinating book about an extraordinary man."–Johnny Carson
"Davidson, an award–winning science writer, has written an absorbing portrait of this Pied Piper of planetary science. Davidson thoroughly explores Sagan′s science, wrestles with his politics, and plumbs his personal passions with a telling instinct for the revealing underside of a life lived so publicly."–Los Angeles Times
Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century–the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan′s family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this highly acclaimed life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time–a complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age.
"Absolutely fascinating . . . Davidson has done a remarkable job."–Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"Engaging . . . accessible, carefully documented . . . sophisticated."–Dr. David Hollinger for The New York Times Book Review
"Entertaining . . . Davidson treats [the] nuances of Sagan′s complex life with understanding and sympathy."–The Christian Science Monitor
"Excellent . . . Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan′s works and their vast uncertainties."–Scientific American
"A fascinating book about an extraordinary man."–Johnny Carson
"Davidson, an award–winning science writer, has written an absorbing portrait of this Pied Piper of planetary science. Davidson thoroughly explores Sagan′s science, wrestles with his politics, and plumbs his personal passions with a telling instinct for the revealing underside of a life lived so publicly."–Los Angeles Times
Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century–the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan′s family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this highly acclaimed life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time–a complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age.
New Scientist, 6th November 1999
- "Davidson's Sagan promotes useful biography."
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Back Cover
A penetrating, mesmerizing biography of a scientific icon, now in paperback
"Absolutely fascinating . . . Davidson has done a remarkable job."–Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"Engaging . . . accessible, carefully documented . . . sophisticated."–Dr. David Hollinger for The New York Times Book Review
"Entertaining . . . Davidson treats [the] nuances of Sagan′s complex life with understanding and sympathy."–The Christian Science Monitor
"Excellent . . . Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan′s works and their vast uncertainties."–Scientific American
"A fascinating book about an extraordinary man."–Johnny Carson
"Davidson, an award–winning science writer, has written an absorbing portrait of this Pied Piper of planetary science. Davidson thoroughly explores Sagan′s science, wrestles with his politics, and plumbs his personal passions with a telling instinct for the revealing underside of a life lived so publicly."–Los Angeles Times
Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century–the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan′s family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this highly acclaimed life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time–a complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age.
"Absolutely fascinating . . . Davidson has done a remarkable job."–Sir Arthur C. Clarke
"Engaging . . . accessible, carefully documented . . . sophisticated."–Dr. David Hollinger for The New York Times Book Review
"Entertaining . . . Davidson treats [the] nuances of Sagan′s complex life with understanding and sympathy."–The Christian Science Monitor
"Excellent . . . Davidson acts as a keen critic to Sagan′s works and their vast uncertainties."–Scientific American
"A fascinating book about an extraordinary man."–Johnny Carson
"Davidson, an award–winning science writer, has written an absorbing portrait of this Pied Piper of planetary science. Davidson thoroughly explores Sagan′s science, wrestles with his politics, and plumbs his personal passions with a telling instinct for the revealing underside of a life lived so publicly."–Los Angeles Times
Carl Sagan was one of the most celebrated scientists of this century–the handsome and alluring visionary who inspired a generation to look to the heavens and beyond. His life was both an intellectual feast and an emotional rollercoaster. Based on interviews with Sagan′s family and friends, including his widow, Ann Druyan; his first wife, acclaimed scientist Lynn Margulis; and his three sons, as well as exclusive access to many personal papers, this highly acclaimed life story offers remarkable insight into one of the most influential, provocative, and beloved figures of our time–a complex, contradictory prophet of the Space Age.
About the Author
KEAY DAVIDSON is an award–winning science reporter for the San Francisco Examiner and has written feature articles for National Geographic and New Scientist. He coauthored the critically acclaimed book Wrinkles in Time with George Smoot. He lives in San Francisco, California.
